India

India tea exports are on the rise with gains in both value and volume this year — trends that the Tea Board of India intends preserve by aggressively combatting the typical year-end surge of stale tea.more

Reports on India’s small tea growers increasingly share one single word; “demand.” In the face of climate change, they are demanding that government tax and subsidy policy become farm-centric instead of favoring large estate growers.more

The 105-day strike in the hills of Darjeeling dealt a body blow to the tea industry. Disenchanted workers, only about 40% of whom reported for work immediately following the end of the strike, will prolong recovery.more

The October opening was the latest expansion by Tata Starbucks Private Ltd., the 50/50 joint venture between Starbucks and Tata Global Beverages and was intended to reaffirm the partnership’s long-term commitment to India.more

In August 2017, for the first time in 156 years, no Darjeeling teas entered the wholesale markets worldwide. An indefinite strike led by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) halted the harvest in mid-June.more

India exported 222.45 million kilos (m.kg)of tea in 2016, which is only a sixth of the tea grown there. Most of the exported tea is lower grade for blending. Only a small portion is processed as full-leaf orthodox.more